Menu Plan Monday ~ Clear Out Your Recipe File Week!

Okie dokie.  I wasn't going to launch The Sort Report for another month, until I had a small (but growing) archive behind me, but what the heck.  It's been such a long time since I participated in a Menu Plan Monday but I'm on a bit of a 'clear the backlog of new recipes to try' kick right now, so it seemed like it was time to catapult myself back into the blogging fray.  Hi there!  Hello!  If you've never 'met' me before, I'm a crazy Australian SAHM with three kids (one special needs).  Welcome!

When I'm sorting out my menus, I like to use the framework of an 'If It's Monday, It's Spaghetti' kind of plan - it's easier on my frazzled brain and it (usually) ensures we don't end up with four or five dinners using the same protein source every week.  In addition to this, I consider my husband's work schedule.  He works a rotating roster and as an example, there's always a week-long stretch of afternoon shift when he's not home for dinner.  We've dubbed this Kid Friendly Week and they're usually helping to choose the recipes, so what ends up on the menu tends to reflect their simpler tastes.  We try to plan meals for this week based on 'leftoverability' and just put aside Daddy's portion to take to work the next evening :)

All the dinners are new recipes, and side dishes are in brackets.

Menu Plan

(July 26th → August 1st)

Monday ~ Pasta

Homemade Gnocchi Delizia (salad)

First time making gnocchi from scratch!  Bechamel-base sauce with semi-dried tomatoes, broccoli and bacon.

Tuesday ~ Chicken

Baked Honey Lemon Chicken (rice, stir-fried vegetables)

Simple meal - chicken is put into marinade in the morning, and DH can pop this in the oven if I'm late getting home from my errands later.

Wednesday ~ Quick & Easy

Pizza Quiche (salad)

Homemade shortcrust pastry prepped and refrigerated in the morning.  Throw together kind of meal.

Thursday ~ Beef

Thai Red Beef Curry with Homemade Paste (rice)

I've never made my own curry paste before :)  Leftovers as fall back plan for the kids if it's too spicy.

Friday ~ Misc / New Recipe

Vegetarian Dumplings (Singapore Noodles)

Trying a new technique (and new recipe!) with gow gee wrappers.  Serving this with a noodle creation I'll make up on the night.

Saturday ~ Crockpot / Freezer

Ropa Vieja (tortillas, salad)

Sydney's Crepes of Wrath is an absolute goldmine for tasty, hearty recipes - I have several of her recipes waiting in the wings.  Highly recommended! 

Sunday ~ Roast / Pizza

Roast Chicken with Bacon Stuffing (potatoes, broccoli, carrots, gravy)

Finishing off the week with a hearty family favourite meal.  Baking the stuffing in a pan (new recipe).

Baking

1. Apple Cake (got a head start on that yesterday - a bit 'meh' but still okay)
2. Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (double batch - test freezing some of the dough)
3. Warm Chocolate Puddings (this is likely to be Sunday's dessert - new recipe)
4. Monte Carlos (sandwich cookies with a raspberry cream filling - new recipe)
5. Coffee Walnut Scrolls (new recipe)

(Some of these will be set aside and frozen for the kids' lunches)

Freezer

1. Mocha Pound Cake (you gotta have a pound cake in the freezer for emergencies, right? LOL - new recipe)
2. Fried Rice (a favourite freezer filler - great for side dishes, lunches and DH's work meals)

(Usually I'd set aside between 3 and 5 recipes/meals to put in the freezer - not all single meals, usually duplicates of things like lasagna and cookie dough - but because of the high number of new recipes this week, we'll stick with two)

Phew! That's a lot of cooking and baking to get through this week, but I'm looking forward to adding some new tried-and-true recipes to my trusty Recipe Binder (more on that soon!)  Happy cooking folks!

For more tasty Menu Plan Monday morsels, drop by Org Junkie.

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